Tidal wave of protest as hundreds of thousands join Women's March on Washington

Washington: Donald Trump's ascent to the White House has been met with a tidal wave of peaceful protest across the country, with hundreds of thousands flooding Washington, DC, and huge crowds in other cities across the United States and the world expressing anger, disgust and defiance at the new President and demanding equal rights for all.

The Women's March on Washington, DC, the largest march to take place on Saturday, inundated the national capital, with huge crowds spilling from the designated rally area to the south of the Capitol, sprawling across the National Mall and into surrounding streets, and jamming the underground Metro service. News network MSNBC estimated half a million people were at the Washington march by 1pm, though organisers later put the figure around 1 million people. No official city figures for the march were made available.

Soon after lunchtime, the protest moved from the National Mall and surrounding area and began to march through the city, bringing large parts of the downtown area to a standstill with the crowd stretching for about 1.6 kilometres, according to Reuters.

By mid-morning, far more people had poured into the capital's public transport system than the number who had attended the inauguration the day before. The Washington DC Metro said 275,000 trips were taken before 11am on Saturday, compared with just 193,000 by the same time on Friday. By 4pm on Saturday, there were 597, 000 trips on the rail service.

The New York Times reported the DC protest was most likely the largest inauguration-related demonstration in the country's history.

Protest organisers claimed more than 3 million people rallied in more than 600 marches worldwide, though this number was difficult to independently verify given the lack of official data. Hundreds of thousands marching in Los Angeles (organisers put the crowd at 750, 000). New York City's Democratic Mayor Bill De Blasio said there were 400, 000 people on the streets of his city, while an estimated 150,000 people marched in Chicago, according to police, and more than 100,000 in Boston. The Denver Post reported about 100,000 people rallied in the city. It was not just the northern cities in traditionally "blue" states either - thousands marched in "red" states including Missouri and Tennessee.

In Washington, DC, the area surrounding the Capitol, which had been filled with a sea of supporters of the new President wearing red "Make America Great Again" caps the day before, was replaced by a sea of protesters, mostly women, wearing knitted pink "pussyhat" beanies, an unofficial symbol of the march.

Patricia Wolk, Kay Pitts and Patricia Bennett travelled from California to the march.

Jenny Southlynn was among the busloads of women who descended on the city throughout Saturday morning. She came in a convoy of three buses from Illinois, that left at 5pm on Friday and drove more than 1000 kilometres all night to be at the protest.

"It's such a cliche but this is what democracy looks like," she said, standing on the National Mall amid a vast crowd of protesters. "This is more than half the country that's against him."

Protesters also called for action on climate change.

"It's about showing that solidarity and saying everyone's life matters," said Carrie Verner, a fellow marcher from Illinois.

Despite the crowding, and the fact few people could get anywhere near the stage to hear the line-up of speakers and performers, the mood was jubilant.

Patricia Bennett, 68, flew from Fresno, California, on the opposite side of the continent with her friends Patricia Wolk, 83, and Kay Pitts, 82, to be at the march, on a plane filled with marchers.

Standing in that vast sea of women, she said, lifted her spirits. "It gives me hope that enough people are willing to stand up."

But they held real fears about what lay ahead for their country, on issues such as women's access to abortion, healthcare and rights for the LGBT community.

"We thought some of these issues were settled 50 years ago," said Ms Bennett. "How can we still be talking about women's reproductive rights?

"I just can't fathom going backwards in all these ways. I do not believe the majority want to happen."

Mr Trump has pledged to appoint a Supreme Court justice who will help overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision legalising abortion in the US.

The marches in the US were partnered by marched in major cities across the world, including huge protests in Paris and London, and marches in Sydney and Melbourne.

Actress Scarlett Johansson said she feared her own daughter could grow up in a country where her daughter "did not have the right to make choices for her body and her future that your daughter Ivanka has been privileged to have".

"I ask you to support all women and our fight for equality in all things including the fight to be recognised as individuals who know better for ourselves what is right for our bodies better than any elected official."

Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore expressed disgust at the new President's pledge to end "American carnage".

"We are here to vow to end the Trump carnage," he said.

Civil rights veteran and Democratic Senator John Lewis, who led the "Bloody Sunday" march on Selma in 1965, which was pivotal to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, spoke and marched with protesters in Atlanta.

"Use this energy to organise," he told protesters. "At the next election we must vote like never before.

"I'm fired up, I'm ready to march, I have on my marching shoes."

In DC, singer, actress and activist Janelle Monae appeared on stage with the "Mothers of the Movement" - women whose children have been killed by police officers or in police custody - and led the crowd in song.

Unsuccessful Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted a message of support to the march on Saturday, writing: "Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch. Important as ever. I truly believe we're always Stronger Together".

While the public transport system in DC had worked smoothly on inauguration day, crowds jammed Metro stations from early on Saturday morning, with hours-long waits and people turned away at some stations and advised by staff to walk long distances from the suburbs.

Anne Hill, a doctor, travelled from Portland, Oregon, on the west coast, with her 10-year-old daughter and her sister-in-law.

"These are our lives, this is my daughter's life that is in danger now with this man as President," she said.

Dr Hill said she had seen the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, among her own patients who had finally been able to obtain healthcare coverage and was dismayed at Republican plans to repeal the law.

"I fear for my patients not being able to get the care that they need," she said.

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Despite not usually being a big fan of crowds, Dr Hill said she was so happy to be there.

"I love being able to show my daughter what it's like to be in such a huge rally, and fight for something that's good and just and right."